About

$2,751

pledged of $2,500 goal

41

backers

Hi! *wave* My name is Nicole Kolbe. Some of you may already know what sort of woman I am, but for those of you who don't in short I'm a gal full of big dreams, crazy schemes and a whole lot of wishful thinking for the world around me.

But you know what they say: "Wish in one hand and spit in the other-- see which one fills up fastest."

It is time to stop spitting in my hand, guys. So here it goes:

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Gigi's Ice Lollies!

"What are Ice Lollies?", you may ask. Well, essentially, ice lollies are everyone's favourite frozen treat on a stick. As luck would have it, there is an ice lolly sized hole in the downtown Fargo area during the summer, and it is time for me to take my little ice lolly cart out and fill that void.

"Ok, I get it- but *who* is Gigi?", you wonder. Gigi's Ice Lollies is an homage to the woman who pretty much started my love affair with ice lollies; my grandmother. This endeavor is simply a natural extension of my childhood memories and a desire to help create those sorts of memories with my son and kids of all ages.

Yummy!

"Why sell ice lollies?", you find yourself quipping. In simple terms: no one can frown while eating an ice lolly. Seriously, the ice lolly smile phenomenon cannot be denied. Ice lollies instantly transport people to a place where everything is simple and fun: who wouldn't want to share that sorta joy with others? So it is with this knowledge and a little courage that I wanna spread as many smiles around downtown Fargo as I can. By handcrafting gourmet ice lollies and selling them from my cart, I will not only be spreading smiles, but I'll be giving back to the economy of an area I have grown to love over the past two years as well as fulfilling a dream of mine. My mission, with Gigi's Ice Lollies, is to bring simple joy and uncontrollable smiles to everyone I meet- one ice lolly at a time.

Ice Lolly Smile

But, I can't do this alone, y'all. I need help from all of you in order to offset the mounting costs that accompany starting a new business. From registering our trade name, to filing for tax exemption and sales tax, to a vendor licence and the health permits: for every hoop I have to jump through to make Gigi's Ice Lollies a reality, there is fee attached. Then you have to figure in the cost of all the supplies, the cart, the insurance, the commercial kitchen rental, the ice lolly ingredients, the dry ice... the list goes on and on. Right now, the costs are figuring in at ~ $2,665, not including monthly, reoccurring bills. All of this is enough to make some folks break down and give up- but not me! I am bound and determined to bring this baby into the world kickin' and screamin' with all spit and vinegar my blood, sweat and tears has to offer. This is not gonna be easy. In less than a month's time, I've already faced challenges within this endeavor like a boss and I will not quit till Gigi's Ice Lollies is a house hold name in the Fagro-Moorhead area and beyond.

Scrumptious

"OK, you've sold me- you're the queen of ice lollies. So how can I help?" Oh that is easy. Whatever amount you are comfortable investing, just click the link, over here, and you're on your way. As a bonus, there are levels of rewards for various dollar amounts, so not only will your generous investment help fund this amazing and unique concept, but you'll get swag for it, to boot! Below you will find a short list (ok a long list) of all the things your investment will help provide for Gigi's Ice Lollies. Each of these items are vital to getting our cart up and running and I want to be completely transparent during this kickstarter by letting you see exactly where your investment will be spent.

I want y'all to know, this is the first time in YEARS that I've been this excited over something. (Well, except that whole marrying my husband and starting our family bit...) Anyway, I need this to work. And to be frank, Fargo needs this to work, because even though our downtown area revitalization project is spreading like wild fire, we need more independent food vendors and businesses in the area to help spread commerce and keep our money local.

So, please, help me spread some smiles with Gigi's Ice Lollies

Thanks for all your help!

Loves and Licks, y'all!

Necessary Items for Gigi's Ice Lollies Sales and Production

•Fargo City Health Dept License -- $115

•Fargo City Vending Permit -- $50

•ND Sales Tax License --$100

•ND Trade Name Registration --$25

•Ice Lolly Cart -- $650

•Dry Ice Cooler -- 480

•Initial Food Stuffs & Ingredients --$700

•Cash Box --$30

•Chair --$30

•Umbrella -- $40

•Ice Lolly Sticks --$10

•Ice Lolly Moulds --$270

• 2 Ice Cream Makers --$50

•Eco-Friendly Wrappers --$55

•Heal Sealer --$30

•Cleaning/Sterilizing Products --$30

GRAND TOTAL -- $ 2,665

Risks and challenges

Gigi's Ice Lollies truly is a dream for me and a labor of love in which I am investing a huge amount of time, resources, money and faith. Even so, there is no way I could have gotten even this far without the love, faith, support and backing of the wonderful people in my life. There will never be enough thanks in the world to give to you all for believing in me and this dream.

But, some times, even the best laid dreams don't come true. Some times you can work your fingers to the bone, slaving away, dedicating all you have to making a dream come true only to have it all come apart for one reason or another. This dream is no different, dear friends. Pursuing this venture comes with the risk of failing. And while I cannot guarantee that Gigi's Ice Lollies will become a successful business, I can promise you I will work tirelessly at making this dream a reality. I can promise you I will do everything I can to make Gigi's Ice Lollies a business you can be proud to have a hand in starting.

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering "just how in the world do you plan on shipping ice lollies to folks across the country"- well never fear. By using dry ice and overnight shipping, you can have fresh, frozen ice lollies at your door quicker than you can blink....sorta.

Support

Select this reward

Pledge $10 or more
About $10

"Gigi's Ice Lollies Auditor" •GILA• Status Achieved! -- (LOCAL REWARD)
Generosity of this level will get you put on the "GILA List". By being on this exclusive list you will be given the chance, from time to time, to taste test and provide feed back on brand new flavours of Gigi's Ice Lollies before they hit the stand. Please note: this reward is only available locally.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

HAVE ALL THE THINGS! -- (LOCAL REWARD)
This level of generosity will receive your choice of a "Gigi's Ice Lollies" tote bag filled with 5 ice lollies to pick up at the cart downtown, OR a "Gigi's Ice Lollies" graphic t-shirt and a reward card good for 5 ice lollies fresh from the cart downtown.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

Suppa Sweet Sampler --
At this level of donation you will receive both our tote bag, with 5 ice lollies inside, and the t-shirt, as well as a limited edition "So Poppin' Sweet" Gigi's Ice Lollies Sticker.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

Just For YOU! -- (LOCAL REWARD)
Your generous donation at this level will be rewarded with 10 personalized ice lollies of your choice (from our popular offerings) delivered to your door. Oh and the tote bag, t-shirt, and bumper sticker are included, too.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Direct to you --
Live too far away to get Gigi's Ice Lollies any time you want? Donations at this level will receive our t-shirt and bumper sticker PLUS our tote bag with 10 of our ice lollies of your choosing shipped right to your door.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

Ice Lolly Office Party -- (LOCAL REWARD)
Generosity at this level will be provided with an exclusive office party where, upon a week day of your choosing, Gigi's Ice Lollies will deliver up to 100 ice lollies, in four flavours, to your office to share with your work mates. Please schedule two weeks in advance. Also, you will receive your choice of our tote bag or graphic t-shirt as well as a "So Poppin' Sweet" bumper sticker.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

Your Wish is Gigi's Command --
At this level of donation, your generosity will be met with an ice lolly genie, as it were. Want to create an ice lolly, name it after your favourite dog, Leroy, and have a Lolly-gagger's dozen (24 ice lollies) shipped or delivered to your door? *boing* -- Done! Wanna have your event catered with ice lollies? *nose twitch* -- Get up to 150 custom-made ice lollies delivered (locally) just for your special day. You have a request, I'll do my best (within the laws of nature and man) to make it happen. Oh, and our tote bag, t-shirt and bumper sticker, those are all yours, too.